Trinamool show-causes party legislator for meeting kin of minor girl killed in blast at Bengal's Kaliganj

Kolkata, June 26 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress, on Thursday, slapped a show-cause notice on the party legislator from Debra Assembly constituency in West Midnapore district of West Bengal, Humayun Kabir, for his decision to meet the members of the 13-year-old minor girl killed in a bomb blast at Kaliganj in Nadia district earlier this week without informing his party leadership in advance. 

Kabir, also a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, reached the residence of the victim in Kaliganj on Wednesday evening and offered money to the victim's mother.

He claimed the money that he offered was neither on his personal behalf or on behalf of Trinamool Congress but by a voluntary organisation he was associated with.

The victim's mother, however, refused to accept the money offered by MLA Kabir and made it clear she would not accept any kind of compensation, be it from the state government or Trinamool Congress or any individual belonging to the ruling Trinamool Congress.

The victim's mother also clarified that the only aim of her husband and herself is to get justice for their slain daughter and ensure punishment for the accused responsible for the mishap.

The Trinamool Congress' decision to slap the show-cause notice on Kabir has been confirmed by the party's state Vice President Jayprakash Majumdar on Thursday afternoon.

Kabir has been asked to give his reply to the show-cause notice within the next three days.

Meanwhile, a senior member of the West Bengal Cabinet said that Kabir's decision to offer money to the victim's family member without informing the party and the refusal of the victim's mother to accept it, had caused immense embarrassment for the Trinamool Congress.

"A message had gone as if he was sent by the party (Trinamool Congress) to pursue the victim's family members so as not to create further controversies over the mishap and settle it against money. In reality, going there and offering money was Kabir's personal decision and he did not consult the party leadership before taking this step. Hence, he had been slapped with the show-cause notice," the state Cabinet member said.

Kabir, himself, had kept himself incommunicado since Thursday afternoon and hence his reactions to the incident were not available.

Five persons have been arrested till now in connection with the killing of the minor girl, Tamanna Khatun.

The victim's family members and the local people have alleged that the minor girl was killed after being hit by splinters of a bomb that was hurled during a victory procession of the ruling Trinamool Congress to celebrate the victory of its party candidate Alifa Ahmed in Kaliganj bypolls, the results of which were declared on Monday.

The victim's mother accused the investigating officials of the district police of ignoring the political angle behind the event of hurling bombs from the victory procession, exclusively targeting her residence, in which her daughter was killed.

She said that her residence was specially targeted since her entire family is ideologically inclined to and was actively associated with the CPI-M for a long time.

Secondly, she questioned how just five persons have been arrested so far, despite around 40 to 50 bombs being hurled targeting her residence within a short period, which was not possible by just four miscreants.

On Tuesday, the National Commission for Women took suo motu cognisance of the case and sought answers to some queries in the matter from the Krishnanagar District Superintendent of Police, Amarnath K, under whose jurisdiction Kaliganj comes.